Lucien was holding a small, mole-like creature.
The Niffler's tiny paws were busily stuffing something into its abdominal pouch.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Ginger is still young and very curious…"
Newt gave an embarrassed smile and took the Niffler cub, named Ginger, from Lucien's hands.
Gently pinching Ginger by the scruff with one hand, Newt tickled the little creature's soft belly with the other.
Unable to endure the tickling, the Niffler wriggled and squeaked, spilling various gold and silver trinkets from its pouch.
Lucien quickly retrieved the stone slate, noticing that its surface now bore the image of a Niffler along with a magical circuit.
Phew. Good thing he noticed in time.
"Ginger? This little fellow's fur colour is quite rare, isn't it?"
Lucien observed Ginger as it continued to drop items. Nifflers were usually black, though grey, light blue, and other colours also existed.
However, the Niffler before him was a pure platinum blonde, without a single blemish, and looked exceptionally beautiful.
Newt held Ginger in his palm, but the little creature kept trying to leap down to gather the treasures scattered on the ground.
Seeing this, both Lucien and Newt could not help but laugh, and Newt said,
"Ginger is the offspring of an old friend of mine. Its fur colour is indeed very rare, which makes it easy for unscrupulous wizards to notice in the wild, and its health isn't very good either, so I decided to keep it by my side."
Lucien took out a Galleon and dangled it in front of Ginger, immediately capturing the little creature's attention. It stretched out its tiny paws, eager to snatch it.
Watching Lucien teasing the Niffler with an amused smile, Newt suddenly made a suggestion.
"Lucien, would you like to try raising a Niffler?"
"Are you referring to Ginger?"
"Yes, if you're willing."
Lucien briefly considered Newt's proposal.
Although he had used the Circuit Imprint Stele to record the magical circuits of many magical creatures and accumulated a large number of samples, keeping one by his side would allow him to observe it more closely and discover additional details.
It seemed that Mr. Newt trusted him a great deal, to be willing to give him a Niffler at their first meeting.
Well, raising a Niffler was quite easy, and…
Lucien stopped teasing Ginger and handed it the Galleon. The little creature clutched the gold coin with its forepaws and immediately stuffed it into its pouch.
And Nifflers really were adorable!
"If I run into any problems while taking care of Ginger, I'll ask you directly."
Hearing this, Newt smiled and placed the little Niffler into Lucien's hands.
Lucien held Ginger in his hands, and with his free hand, he kept pulling Galleons from his pocket and handing them to Ginger one by one.
Naturally, the Niffler accepted the shiny gold coins without the slightest hesitation. Lucien handed one over, and it stuffed one away.
Hmm. Galleons were still a bit too plain. He would write to Aunt Penelope later and ask her to send some richly crafted gold, silver, and jewels.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Newt, if someone wanted to raise and care for a dragon, what would be required, and what precautions should be taken?"
Faced with Lucien's question, Newt simply took it as a child's fantasy or passing interest. Dragons, as magical creatures, possessed a strong element of legend and wonder.
Among magical creatures, dragons were probably the ones most often accidentally seen by Muggles.
Even though wizards constantly cast Memory Charms on Muggles who had seen dragons, there were always a few who slipped through the cracks.
As a result, legends and stories about dragons were extremely common in the Muggle world.
Newt felt it was a good thing that Lucien was interested in magical creatures, and he was naturally generous in sharing his knowledge, speaking casually.
"Wizards aren't allowed to raise dragons on their own, but if you work at a dragon reserve or a similar place, then it's certainly important to understand dragons well."
"For example, dragon eggs need to be incubated in fire, and after hatching, the hatchling must swallow a flame, usually provided by its parents…"
"If there's human intervention, you can feed them brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour, which can enhance the hatchling's immunity…"
"Of course, even when dealing with newly hatched dragons, you must cast a Fire-Protection Charm on yourself. The breath of those little creatures is enough to burn through…"
As Newt shared his knowledge at length, Lucien quietly committed every detail to memory.
After all, he would soon be raising a dragon, and he also needed to train it to become the king of its species to repay the loan for the Magic Weaving Technique.
So naturally, he had to start from the very beginning, ensuring the little dragon's health from birth and allowing it to grow strong.
The experience Newt shared was extremely valuable. Hmm, he could also continue asking questions by letter later.
He would also find an opportunity to have Ron ask his second brother, Charlie, who was already a dragon keeper and certainly had unique insights in this area.
If he could establish that connection, it would be much more convenient to take the little dragon to conquer other members of its kind in the future.
Oh, and Malfoy as well. Their family also had a dragon reserve. If possible, he would try to visit it in advance to prepare more…
After discussing dragons, Lucien then asked in detail about methods for caring for Nifflers, which further reassured Newt, who explained various matters such as a Niffler's diet and nesting habits.
"Oh, right. Ginger has a little hobby. She loves watching the moon. Yes, she likes it best during a full moon."
Lucien nodded.
"Understood. I also raise Mooncalves, so they can keep each other company then."
Likes watching the moon?
Was it because the moon also sparkled, appealing to a Niffler's instincts?
How interesting.
Lucien scratched Ginger's belly, finding the sensation unexpectedly pleasant, very soft and warm.
The older and younger men both enjoyed the meeting, and time passed quickly.
Suddenly, Newt slapped his forehead as he remembered something and hurriedly packed his suitcase.
"Oh no, oh no, I forgot to tell Tina before I left. When I get back, I'll be…"
"Lucien, I'm heading off now. See you in the summer!"
…
Ding-a-ling-ling—~~!
The class bell rang.
Lucien sat in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, watching Quirrell stand at the lectern, continuing to read from the textbook in his stammering manner.
Quirrell's face was still pale and bloodless, but he no longer looked as gaunt as before, and his voice was slightly louder.
He wore black gloves on both hands, though the students paid little attention to this. Professor Quirrell's appearance was already strange enough, with a purple turban constantly wrapped around his head and a strong smell of garlic clinging to him.
However, Lucien noticed that Quirrell's right hand hung at his side most of the time. He almost always held the textbook with his left hand.
Quietly activating his Eye of Peering Magic, faint whirlpools appeared in his eyes.
He observed the magical circuits within Quirrell's body.
Oh?
The depletion and atrophy at the end of the circuit had stopped.
Was it because of unicorn blood?
According to Glimmer's memories, Quirrell had been splashed with a large amount of Asterion's blood at the time, so it seemed he had chosen to drink it afterward.
However… Lucien narrowed his eyes, "seeing" faint dark energy clinging to Quirrell's magical circuits, slowly spreading toward the area near his heart.
The curse brought about by drinking unicorn blood, a half-dead torment.
The magical circuits in his left hand were extremely dim and thin.
Even when severed limbs were regrown through Dark Arts, there were still limits, it seemed.
Glimmer had burned off Quirrell's left hand back then, but unfortunately, the other party had been even more ruthless, severing his own arm to escape.
Lucien looked at the seemingly normal Quirrell, recalling a private conversation he had had with Dumbledore after Newt left.
Dumbledore's stance remained unchanged. He believed everything was still under control and hoped Harry would complete his growth and adventure.
Lucien knew he could not dissuade him. The power of the prophecy was undeniable: the Boy Who Lived would indeed defeat Lord Voldemort.
However, Lucien also remembered being assessed by Firenze, the centaur master of divination, who had said that he could change the fate of others.
So… how should he deal with the problem of Lord Voldemort?
________
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